


Side Effects

by Turbulent_Muse



Series: Eddie Brock is a Cryptid [1]
Category: Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Conspiracy Theories, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Physical Changes, Post-Canon, but only like a tiny bit of fluff, it's mostly humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-20
Updated: 2018-11-20
Packaged: 2019-08-26 16:35:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16685212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Turbulent_Muse/pseuds/Turbulent_Muse
Summary: After the events of the movie Eddie starts to notice some changes.





	1. Changes

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to my cousin for helping me develop the idea.

It takes him awhile to notice. For quite some time he thought it was just the weather. But when he realizes he’s still cold without a hoodie in 85 degree heat Eddie figures something’s up.

He takes his temperature. It’s a hundred and three degrees.

“Venom!”

**“What is it, Eddie?”**

“Do we have a fever?”

**“No, this is our body’s normal temperature.”**

“It’s not normal for a human.”

**“Your metabolism is no longer that of a human. Do not worry, it is not damaging your organs. It is merely a side-effect of your body not rejecting our bond.”**

“Okay.” Eddie says slowly. “Any other side-effects you want to let me know about?”

**“I am not sure of the exact reactions the human body has to my presence. I suppose we will find out together over time.”**

“I guess so.”

He makes sure he has plenty of sweaters and blankets and tries not to think too much about it.

……

He notices the next change when he’s going to be late for a meeting. Or rather, when he thinks he’s going to be late for a meeting.

He’s had to park his motorcycle further away than he thought he would, and now he’s pumping his legs as hard as he can and hoping he won’t be late and covered in sweat.

But after awhile of running he realizes that he’s going very fast. Very very fast. Faster than he could ever run before and fast enough to get a few glances from other pedestrians. And, he isn’t covered in sweat. He’s sweating some, but not as much as someone moving this fast should.

He checks his phone and finds he has the time to duck quickly out of sight into an alley.

“Venom.”

**“Yes, Eddie.”**

“I think I found another ‘side effect’.”

**“Yes. You seem more pleased by this one.”**

“Yeah, it’s more useful.”

**“The other changes are useful. Your heightened metabolism lets us digest enough food to sustain us. And your elevated temperature prevents most illness.”**

“Wait? It does? “

**“Yes. Our body is too hostile for many types of virus and bacteria to survive in.”**

“Huh. Well, still, this is something I can actively use.”

**“And you should do so. Before you are late.”**

“Right.”

……

It’s 7:30am when he realizes he needs less sleep. He’s been going out at night a lot, letting Venom roam the shadows and…intervene in any violent crimes they stumble across. After several instances of being out all night and still being able to drag himself out of bed in the morning he sees the pattern.

“Huh. This one would have been super great to have when I was still in school.”

**“Are you telling me normal humans have to sleep for an entire third of their lifespan? How pathetic.”**

Eddie figures out his natural sleep cycle is now a total of five hours of sleep, ideally with one of those hours being an afternoon nap.

“Not to be dramatic but this single change is worth every shitty thing that factored into causing it.” Eddie says after working out his new routine.

**“I told you that on this planet we could be a superior being rather than losers.”**

“I don’t know, buddy. Some normal humans can achieve this same sleep cycle with dangerous amounts of caffeine. I’m just using you instead of drugs.”

Venom huffs at the comparison and Eddie laughs.

……

He discovers the increased strength in the stupidest way possible. He keeps shredding chip bags and packages of popcorn when he tries to open them.

Eventually he catches on and tries moving around some furniture. It’s a lot easier than it used to be.

“Huh.” He says, pleased. Then he sees his planned snack scattered all over the floor. “This one I’ll have to work on.”

……

The speed and strength come with their own side effect. Or maybe this is its own thing.

When comparing himself to old pictures Eddie realizes he looks different. His muscle tone has changed, but it’s not just that. The shape of his body is different. He’s a bit broader, his shoulders just a bit wider, and…

“Am I taller?” Eddie asks, utterly confused.

**“Maybe a little.”**

Venom says. And it is about an inch and a half at most. People, if they noticed at all, could just chalk it up to new shoes.

Seeing as it didn’t really affect his life in any way, the added height was the change he thought about the least.

At least until he found out that the internet had latched onto it.

……

_Look at the side-by-side. It can’t possibly be the same guy._

_Idk man. people can look pretty different over time._

_But they don’t get fucking taller dumbass_

_Why replace him though?_

_Um, hello??? Have you not heard of the NWO???_

_Yeah but why him?_

Eddie closes his laptop and sighs. It was true he was making less on-camera appearances lately but that didn’t mean he was completely out of the public eye. One day he had stumbled upon a very dedicated group of people who had looked at the difference between him in older footage and the new stuff. They had become convinced that he simply wasn’t the same person. They had started a website about it whose homepage prominently shows an old image of him from The Brock Report next to a newer photo. He has to admit that side by side like that he does look really different. So much had happened since that first photo, and he certainly wasn’t living that same life anymore. He wonders how he should feel about that.

The details of the theory vary from theorist to theorist. To some he was an illuminati clone, to others just a look-alike hired to replace the original Eddie Brock who had, in the minds of these conspiracy enthusiasts, been killed by the Life Foundation or the government or both. Some theories were even wilder than that. Almost all of them had something to say about the viral video of him climbing into a lobster tank.

**“Eddie. Should we do something about this?”**

“Nope. Nothing we can do to stop it and anything we do to try will just encourage them. Besides, this actually works out in our favor.”

**“How?”**

“Well now anyone who does bring up the differences will look like a crazy online conspiracy theorist, it’ll discredit them. Especially since these guys are actually pretty close to the truth.”

**“I don’t see how. You are not a clone. Or a lizard.”**

“Well no, but I’m not entirely human anymore either. And some of them did guess there were aliens involved. I…I’m not who I was before. I’m someone better, I’m us.” Eddie says definitively.

Venom purrs happily at this declaration.

“And now anyone who notices that our body is a little different than mine used to be will dismiss it. Because, I mean, it’s not like these guys are going to actually convince anyone.”

Just then there’s a knock at the door.

Eddie opens it to find Anne, holding up the side by side images from the website accusingly.

“Venom didn’t die, did he?”

“Okay, just to prove a point, it’s not the website that convinced you, right?”

Anne sighs exasperatedly.


	2. Cause and Effect

He’s a guest on a talk show, talking about his interviews with Cletus Kasady, and the host brings it up as a joke.

“Do you know about this?” They ask and a screenshot of the website’s homepage with the pictures and its title, ‘Eddie Brock Replaced?!?!” in big comic sans letters is pulled up on the screen.

The studio audience laughs. Eddie laughs too, trying his best to sound nonchalant.

He says that yes he knows and yes he acknowledges there is a striking difference between the two photos and he talks about living a different lifestyle and taking better care of himself until the host changes the subject and his heart stops pounding.

When he sees the interview on tv later he’s furious.

“I told you to lay low!”

**“I barely did anything.”**

“You made my eyes turn black while I was looking directly at the camera!”

**“For half a second.”**

“Now the internet’s going to latch onto this too, ugh. Why? Why did you do this, Venom?”

**“…I thought it would be funny.”**

“What?”

**“Watching the internet humans freak out about it. Seeing their theories. It will be funny.”**

“Well…you’re not wrong.” Eddie concedes, less angry. “But don’t do anything like this again. If they have enough evidence more people might start to…well not believe _them_ but beleive _something’s_ going on.”

**“Okay, Eddie.”**

“Good.”

**“Do you want to look and see what people are saying about the interview on those forums.”**

“Absolutely.”

……

_Proof! Proof that Eddie Brock was created and sent here by the Pleiadians like I’ve been saying all along!_

_he’s obviously a gray hybrid you stupid dickbrain_

_I think he’s a robot._

**“We could anonymously post the correct explanation and see how many people dismiss it.”**

“Absolutely not. I think we need to limit your internet access before I become a genuine cryptid.”

Eddie shuts the laptop and Venom hisses in his mind like an annoyed cat. Eddie laughs.

“Come on, let’s get something to eat.” Eddie says placatingly.

**“Chocolate?”**

Venom asks.

“Only if you promise to stop messing with the conspiracy theorists. Do we have a deal?”

**“Alright, Eddie. I will leave the silly internet humans alone...But can we still read what they say about us?”**

“Sure. After all, we should keep an eye on it in case it gets out of hand.”

**“And it’s funny.”**

“And it’s hilarious.”


End file.
